According to Russia Today Former member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Anton Bakov is in negotiations with the government of Kiribati on creating an “alternative Russia” on the territory of three currently uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Mr Bakov and his wife Maria plan to invest $350m in infrastructure development on islands of Malden, Starbuck and Millennium. The first negotiation with the government of Kiribati was held already in 2015, but Bakov’s proposal is still under consideration by the Foreign Investment Commission. The businessman estimates that the realization of the project will take from 10 to 15 years.
Radio New Zealand reports that Dr Sitiveni Halapua, who is a former Tongan politician, is not supporting the idea to revive the Russian empire: “I can understand the Government of Kiribati trying to do its best to raise as much resources as they can to deal with their own problems including climate change but one has to remember that sometimes you think ‘this is the solution to your problems’ and it turns out to make the problems worse.”
The Russian monarchy was overthrown by the Bolshevik revolution in 1917, but Bakov aims to revive it. In 2012 he established The Monarchist Party of the Russian Federation and earlier in 2011 he created a micronation the Imperial Throne which declared itself a sovereign nation in 2014. Prince Karl Emich of Leiningen, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Alexander II of Russia, became its head with the title of Nicholas III. Bakov’s idea is to make the Imperial Throne a real nation recognized by world governments.
Bakov has been searching for a territory to purchase from several countries including Montenegro and the Cook Islands. As he explained in an interview with The Guardian he was drawn to Kiribati due to the wonderful climate, big and spacious uninhabited islands and small population, which would obviously benefit from his financial assistance.